It’s Thursday afternoon, and Michael Nikkila leads the charge up a long and steep hill near the entrance of Hayden Park. He grimaces and sweat drips from his bushy beard.

He sets a pace far beyond what any of his runners can do. That’s to be expected. Nikkila, who is in his second season coaching cross country at Hillsdale Academy, has a history of setting the bar high. He is one of Hillsdale College’s greatest cross-country and track athletes. In fact, Nikkila has the distinction of being the only runner in school history to earn All-American honors in both cross country and track.

“He was exceptional,” retired coach Bill Lundberg said.

In 2005, Nikkila was also named Hillsdale’s Outstanding Scholar Athlete.

“I was pretty fortunate,” Nikkila said of his double All-American status. “There were older guys I ran with who were better athletes than me, but it never worked out for them.”

Now a physics and math teacher at Academy, Nikkila also continues to explore his limitations and sport of running through tough mudders, marathons, and trail running.

“I’ve really been enjoying the trail scene,” Nikkila said.

Enjoying and winning.

Last Saturday, Sept. 7, Nikkila took first in 50K trail run at Pickney, Michigan.

In his first long-distance trail run, Nikkila overcame crowded trail sections, roots, stumps, hills, and early morning darkness, as he skipped the recommended headlamp.

“I like the grittiness,” Nikkila said of trail running.

Grittiness is what drew Nikkila to cross-country in the first place. While he said he enjoys the speed of a predictable, four hundred-meter track, it’s the obstacles that really excite him. In track he was a steeple-chaser.

Nikkila thinks he may have a future in the wild-world of long-distance trail racing.

“I think the ultramarathon could be an exciting endeavor in the future,” he said.

Nikkila competes in his spare time. Typically, he teaches and coaches, which he is very serious about.

“It is not an occupation for him,” Lundberg said. “It’s a real vocation.”

Nikkila said, he never planned to be a teacher.

“I kind of fell into teaching,” he said.

While he may have “fallen into” teaching, his decision to work and live in Hillsdale was very intentional.

Originally from Nebraska, Nikkila moved to Colorado Springs after he graduated in 2005 and taught at James Irwin Academy.

In 2007, Nikkila returned to Hillsdale.

“I missed the green of Michigan,” he said

Nikkila and the Colts finish their final climb of their workout. Everyone is breathing hard, including their coach.